A-Z of Services:

Death registration and certificates

Service information

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A death should be registered in the Registration District in which it occurred within 5 days. If this is not possible or convenient then details may be given to any registration officer of deaths in England or Wales who will forward the details to the correct registration district.

Please be aware that if this option is chosen documentation will be issued by the receiving registration district. If there is going to be an investigation into the cause of death this may not be possible.

You can register a death that took place in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen at:

The Register Office, Old Town Hall, Blackburn, BB1 7DY;

Darwen Town Hall, Croft Street, Darwen, BB3 1BQ;

Royal Blackburn Hospital, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH.

All registrations are by appointment only please contact us for an appointment.

Who should register

The occupier of the place where the death took place, if aware that the death had taken place;

Any person arranging the funeral – but not the funeral director.

If English is not the first language of the informant registering the death it may be helpful for someone to accompany them to the register office to act as an interpreter and to give assistance in understanding the registration process. Please note however that the informant must register the death personally as a helper cannot register instead of them.

What papers will I need?

When someone dies the doctor who was treating the deceased will issue a medical certificate of cause of death, this certificate must be delivered to the register office the person registering the death.

If the death is referred to the coroner by the hospital or doctor the coroner’s officer will advise you what to do. You may have to wait before being able to register.

What information will I need?

The registration officer will speak to you in private. You will be asked some questions about the person who has died so that the details can be recorded in the register.

You will need to know:

The date and place of death;

The forename(s) and surname of the deceased plus any previous names that the person was or had been known by;

The maiden name, if the deceased was a woman who had married or formed a legal civil partnership;

The date and place of birth;

The occupation or previous occupation if no longer working;

The name and occupation of their husband, wife or legal civil partner;

The deceased usual address.

Other information will also be asked but will not be recorded in the register:

Whether the deceased had a pension from any public fund;

If the deceased was married or in a legal civil partnership, the date of birth of the widow, widower or surviving civil partner;

The type of industry the deceased had worked in and if they worked as a supervisor.

It is very important that the information recorded in the register is correct. Please check the entry carefully before signing as it is far easier to correct an entry before it has been signed than after.

If you do discover a mistake please contact us for more information.

Documents issued after the registration

A Green Form for burial or cremation unless the coroner has already issued a form;

Certificate of registration of death (form BD8) for social security purposes.

Both these forms are issued free of charge

Death certificate(s)

After a death has been registered certificates may be bought at the time of registration or at any time afterwards.